


you belong (to hours from another day)

by ashley_in_the_know



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-06-26 21:34:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19776868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashley_in_the_know/pseuds/ashley_in_the_know
Summary: Yasha resists Obann's influence. But she still has to leave. For now.





	you belong (to hours from another day)

Jester jerks awake to the sound of thunder, and also to the sound of someone trying, and failing, to be sneaky inside the Ready Room. As her eyes adjust to the darkness, she looks over to see Yasha, standing over the trapdoor, wincing slightly.

“Sorry,” she whispers, soft voice almost lost in the rumble of the oncoming storm. “I did not mean to wake anyone.”

Yasha is dressed for travel, her pack slung over her shoulder, and she looks...sad. But determined. Between that and the storm beginning to rage outside, everything clicks into place for Jester.

She feels tears well up in her eyes. “Oh no, Yasha,” she says, voice catching on her friend’s name. “You aren’t leaving us, are you?”

Yasha smiles sadly, holds up a scrap of parchment. “I was going to leave a note.”

Jester scrambles out of her bedroll, runs to wrap Yasha in a fierce hug. “Is this because of what happened in that tomb?” she asks, already knowing the answer. “Is this because of Obann?”

She feels the nod against the top of her head. “I had forgotten so much for so very long, but I remember things now,” Yasha says. “Obann is...very dangerous. And I do not believe that we truly killed him.” She sighs. “And he has friends that are just as dangerous as he, if not more. They will continue doing bad things if they are not stopped.” Jester feels her head turn; to the flashes of lightning, to the storm. “It is my job to find them and stop them.”

Jester pulls back to look up at Yasha. “You don’t have to do it alone, though,” she says, almost desperately. “We could go with you, Yasha. We could help you. We’re really awesome and strong and-”

“No.” Yasha cuts her off, gentle, but firm. She closes her eyes. “I was one of Obann’s friends, once. Before the Stormlord saved me. I can find his friends. My friends. I can gain their trust, and then I can kill them.”

She wipes away the tears that are streaming down Jester’s cheeks. “You were right, you know? When you said that you all are my family. You were right. And it is my duty to protect my family.”

Jester tries to stifle a sob, attempting to not wake everyone else, and wraps her arms around Yasha again. “I love you _so much_ , Yasha. I’m going to miss you every day until you come home.”

“We all will.”

Caleb’s voice is soft, but still startling in the quiet of the room. They both whip around to find the rest of the Mighty Nein watching them, in various states of emotion. Nott is openly weeping, sniffling as she takes a drink from her flask before running over to hug Yasha around the knees.

“You _will_ come back, yeah?” Beau asks, trying to subtly wipe away tears.

“I will do my best,” Yasha says, running a hand over Nott’s hair. “It will be very dangerous.”

“We’ll talk to you _all_ the time, Yasha,” Jester says. “So that you can know we are okay, and _we_ can know that _you_ are okay and so that you know where we are when you’re ready to find us again.”

“I would like that very much, Jester.”

It is almost half an hour before Yasha actually leaves, and everyone is crying when the trapdoor slams shut behind her. Even Fjord’s eyes are wet, try as he might to hide it.

“Do you think we’ll ever actually see her again?” he asks after a few minutes of silence.

“Ja,” Caleb replies, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. “Ja, we will. She is very strong and tough, and she knows what she is doing. We will see her again.”

“I agree with Mister Caleb,” Caduceus says as a boom of thunder shakes the building. “We’ll see Yasha again. Probably when we least expect it.”

Beau nods. “And if she can’t get to us, we’ll go to her.”

“Well, duh,” Jester says. “What else would we do? She’s our Yasha. She’s family.”


End file.
